Contribution to World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
Introduction
1. In 1988, only slightly more than ten years ago, the Holy Father
requested that the then Pontifical Commission "Iustitia et Pax"
publish a detailed document entitled The
Church and Racism: Towards a More Fraternal Society. Since that
time, the situation with regard to "Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance", the basic concerns of the next
World Conference to be held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August - 7
September, calls for further observations on the part of the Holy See.
Therefore, on the occasion of this important Conference, the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace decided to republish the document The
Church and Racism: Towards a More Fraternal Society, with the
addition of an introductory update.
The increase of racism: between globalization and ethnic conflicts
2. Globalization, which was already under way in 1988,
is accelerating at an ever-greater pace; countries, economies, cultures
and ways of life are drawing closer together and becoming more universal
and intermingled. The phenomenon of interdependence is evident in every
area: political, economic, financial, social and cultural. Scientific
discoveries and the development of communications technology have
"shrunk" the planet considerably. The globalization now
emerging manifests itself in various ways; for example, the impact of a
political, economic or financial incident occurring unexpectedly in one
country is felt by other countries as well, and the great problems or
questions of our time are global in scale (immigration, the environment,
food resources, etc.).
3. Paradoxically, at the same time disagreements are growing sharper,
ethnic violence is increasing, the quest for group, ethnic
or national identity is becoming more relentless as the stranger and
those who are different are rejected, to such a degree that at times
barbarous acts are committed against them. Thus the last ten years have
been marked by ethnic or nationalistic wars which give rise to growing
unease about the future. This paradox is well known and is explained in
part by fear of a loss of identity in a world becoming planetary too
rapidly, at the very time when inequalities are also increasing. But the
paradox actually has many causes. It is clear that the fall of the
Berlin Wall aroused resentments and nationalism which had been kept
under a tight lid for years, that borders inherited from colonial times
had too often failed to respect history and the identity of peoples, or
that, in societies where the social fabric is disintegrating, solidarity
is cruelly lacking (cf. Part II of the document published by the
Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace The Church and Racism:
Towards a More Fraternal Society, cited henceforth as CR).
4. Therefore, given these tensions, the situation since 1988 with
regard to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance has regrettably not improved; indeed it has perhaps
deteriorated, at a time when the movement of peoples has continued to
increase and the intermingling of cultures and multi-ethnicity have
become "social facts". Hence the importance of the forthcoming
World Conference on racism, an importance which the Holy See would like
to emphasize.
It is right to rejoice at the end of the apartheid regime in
South Africa, but the racist massacres or the 'ethnic cleansing' of
recent years, often in a context of general destruction, show to what
extremes hatred and the will to dominate others can lead people. Other
situations that gravely compromise the equal dignity of every human
person continue to exist. For example, while the law may have abolished
slavery virtually everywhere, the practice still persists, notably in
Africa among people of different ethnic groups, or under new forms
elsewhere, with the cruel exploitation of children, prostitutes or
illegal immigrants. In addition, it is necessary to denounce the evil
persistence of anti-Semitic prejudice, which was the cause of the Jewish
Holocaust in the last century (cf. CR, Part II, n. 15). A century, it
should be recalled, that began and ended with planned massacres in the
name of race.
The Catholic Church's unceasing appeal for a conversion of heart
5. Murder, wickedness, envy, pride and folly have their source in the
human heart (cf. Mk 7,21), and it is at this point that the contribution
of the Catholic Church, in its constant appeal for personal conversion,
is most important and necessary (cf. CR, Part IV, n. 24). We must look
first to the human heart; it is the heart that must be continually
purified so that it is no longer governed by fear or the spirit of
domination, but by openness to others, by fraternity and solidarity (cf.
ibid.). This is a fundamental role of religions. Christians in
particular have the responsibility to offer a teaching that stresses the
dignity of every human being and the unity of the human race (cf. CR,
Part III). If war or other terrible circumstances make others the enemy,
the first and most radical Christian commandment is to love that enemy
and to respond to evil with good. Efforts in recent years to impose
greater and more effective penalties for racist actions and claims, both
within States and internationally, especially through the International
Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, have not succeeded in
changing attitudes. These penal measures are necessary and important in
order to punish those responsible for certain acts and as a collective
demonstration of fundamental values, without which a society cannot hold
together.
The Catholic Church's requests for pardon
6. The Christian should never make racist claims or indulge in racist
or discriminatory behaviour, but sadly that has not always been the case
in practice nor has it been so in history. In this regard, Pope John
Paul II wanted to mark the Jubilee of the Year 2000 by requests for
pardon made in the name of the Church, so that the Church's memory
might be purified from all "forms of counter-witness and
scandal" (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Tertio millennio
adveniente, n. 33) which have taken place in the past millennium
(cf. International Theological Commission, Memory and Reconciliation:
The Church and the Faults of the Past. In its recent conclusions
forwarded to the Holy See the Committee for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination [CERD] notes: "The Committee welcomes the solemn
request of His Holiness for pardon for past acts and omissions of the
Church which may have encouraged and/or perpetuated discrimination
against particular groups of people around the world" [Conclusions
of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Holy See,
I May 2001. CERD/C/304/Add. 89, 1 May 2001, n. 4]). There are
situations where the evil done survives the person who has done it,
through the consequences of certain actions, and can become a burden
weighing on the conscience and memory of later generations. A purification
of memory then becomes necessary. "Purifying memory means
eliminating from personal and collective conscience all forms of
resentment or violence left by the inheritance of the past, on the basis
of a new and rigorous historical-theological judgement, which becomes
the foundation for a renewed moral way of acting. This occurs whenever
it becomes possible to attribute to past historical deeds a different
quality, having a new and different effect on the present, in view of
progress in reconciliation in truth, justice and charity among human
beings and, in particular, between the Church and the different
religious, cultural and civil communities with whom she is related"
(cf. International Theological Commission, Memory and Reconciliation:
The Church and the Faults of the Past).
7. In this context, during the Jubilee Year, a Solemn Mass was
celebrated in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome on 12 March 2000, in the
course of which special prayers confessing faults and requesting pardon
were offered. Among the particular intentions, there were confessions
for faults committed in relations with the people of Israel, as well as
for actions contrary to love, peace, the rights of peoples, cultures and
religions. After the confession of sins against the dignity of women and
the unity of the human race, the Holy Father himself prayed in the
following words: "Lord God, our Father, you created the human
being, man and woman, in your image and likeness, and you willed the
diversity of peoples within the unity of the human family. At times,
however, the equality of your sons and daughters has not been
acknowledged, and Christians have been guilty of attitudes of rejection
and exclusion, consenting to acts of discrimination on the basis of
racial and ethnic difference. Forgive us and grant us the grace to heal
the wounds still present in your community on account of sin, so that we
will 0 feel ourselves to be your sons and daughters" (L'Osservatore
Romano English edition, 22 March 2000, p. 4). Having already asked
pardon of the peoples of Africa for the slave trade (cf. Address to
Intellectuals and University Students, Yaoundé [13 August 1985], 7: Insegnamenti
VIII, 2 [1985], 370; also CR, Part I, n. 4. Pope John Paul II
took up this theme again on his visit to Senegal, when he visited the
"House of Slaves" on the island of Gorée on 22 February 1992;
cf. Insegnamenti XV, 1 [1992], 390), the Pope wanted
to make .an act of expiation" and ask pardon of the American
Indians and of Africans deported as slaves (cf. Message to
Afro-Americans, Santo Domingo [13 October 1992], 2: Insegnamenti XV,
2 [1992], 358; Address at the General Audience [21 October
19921, 3: Insegnamenti XV, 2 [19921, 399).
Pardon as the only path to national reconciliation
8. The request for pardon concerns the life of the Church first of
all. It is still legitimate however to "hope that political leaders
and peoples, especially those involved in tragic conflicts, fuelled by
hatred and the memory of often ancient wounds, will be guided by the
spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation exemplified by the Church and
will make every effort to resolve their differences through open and
honest dialogue" (John Paul II, Address to the participants in the
International Symposium on the Inquisition [31 October 1998], 5:
L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 11 November 1998, p. 3). In
fact, in recent years, in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe or Asia,
at the end of international, inter-ethnic or civil wars, or with the
fall of military or communist dictatorships, legislation has been passed
in order to seek the truth and identify those responsible. These laws
have sought to re-establish national peace by offering amnesty under
certain conditions. Thus "truth and reconciliation
commissions" (as in South Africa) were established. As
non-juridical institutions, their mandate is to cast light upon these
troubled periods and to identify the people responsible for them,
without however condemning them to penal sanctions. Experience shows
that such institutions cannot succeed on their own; beyond the laws of
amnesty, countries that have been destroyed and divided by serious
conflicts must engage in a process of reconciliation.
Reconciliation has further demands: "No process of peace can
ever begin unless an attitude of sincere forgiveness takes root in human
hearts. When such forgiveness is lacking, wounds continue to fester,
fuelling in the younger generation endless resentment, producing a
desire for revenge and causing fresh destruction" (John Paul II, Message
for World Day of Peace 1997, n. 1). The Church is aware of
the difficulty, the "folly" of this forgiveness, but does not
see it as either a sign of weakness or cowardliness. Quite the contrary,
the Church proclaims the way of pardon because of her unshakeable
confidence in the infinite forgiveness of God.
9. Given this fundamental premise, the Church proposes concrete means
of reconciliation, which must be realized at every level. The weight of
history, with its litany of resentments, fears, suspicions between
families, ethnic groups, or populations must first be overcome "One
cannot remain a prisoner of the past: individuals and peoples need a
sort of ‘healing of memories’" (ibid., n. 3) This
will require especially a correct re-reading of each other's history (at
the level of education, culture ... ), resisting all hasty and partisan
judgements, in order to acquire a better knowledge and therefore
acceptance of others.
10. This reconciliation will only be possible if the various
religions, governments and the international community sincerely and
actively opt for a "culture of peace", so that there is no
more resort to arms in order to solve problems and there is an end to
the growth of the arms industry and the sale of arms, etc (cf. ibid.,
n. 4; See also the Holy Father's letter to the Bishops of El
Salvador, L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 6 September 1982,
7). The local Churches have an active role to play, notably through
their messages of forgiveness and reconciliation (see in particular the
Lenten Message of the Catholic Bishops of Rwanda 1992; their Pastoral
Letters for Advent 1993 and Lent 1993; their Christmas and New Year
Messages to Christians in 1994 and 1995; documents published in the Holy
See's Report to CERD, CERD/C/338/Add. 11 [26 May 2000], pp. 79-86), but
even more through their action on the ground. It is the task of
government and world or regional organizations to put in place solid
structures "capable of withstanding the uncertainties of politics,
thus guaranteeing to everyone freedom and security in every
circumstance". (Message for World Day of Peace 1997, n.
4). All forms of mediation therefore should be encouraged. Existing
structures must also be strengthened. In particular, the Unite Nations,
which has done much in the area of maintaining and restoring peace
should benefit from means better adapted to the new missions entrusted
to it. Yet structures and processes will not be enough to build a
lasting peace, only the path of forgiveness will make this possible.
11. As an act of gratuitous love, forgiveness has its own demands:
the evil which has been done must be acknowledged and, as far as
possible, corrected (cf. ibid., n. 5). The primary demand
is therefore respect for truth. Lying, untrustworthiness,
corruption, and ideological or political manipulation make it impossible
to restore peaceful social relations. Hence the importance of procedures
which allow truth to be established. Such procedures are necessary but
delicate, for the search for truth risks becoming a thirst for
vengeance. Often as part of such a process governments grant amnesty to
those who have publicly admitted crimes committed during a period of
turmoil. Such an initiative can be judged favourably as an effort to
promote good relations between groups previously opposed to one
another" (ibid.). To the requirement of truth there must be
added a second: justice. For "forgiveness neither eliminates
or lessens the need for the reparation which justice requires, but seeks
to reintegrate individuals and groups into society, and States into the
community of Nations" (ibid.). Such justice must
respect the fundamental dignity of the human person at all times.
12. From the legal point of view, all persons (individual or
corporate) have a right to equitable reparation if personally and
directly they have suffered injury (material or moral). The duty to make
reparation must be fulfilled in an appropriate way. As far as possible,
reparation should erase all the consequences of the illicit action and
restore things to the way they would most probably be if that action had
not occurred. When such a restoration is not possible, reparation should
be made through compensation (equivalent reparation). This is the most
common form of reparation, but the calculation of the compensation is
often difficult. When compensation does not suffice to make reparation
for a moral injury, moral reparation can be made, that is satisfaction.
An example of this is the offering of an apology or expression of regret
to the victim State by the State responsible for-the wrong.
The Holy See is aware of the great difficulty that this "need
for reparation" can pose when it becomes a demand for compensation.
It is not the Church's task to propose a technical solution to so
complex a problem (in this context, one could mention the Message of the
Twelfth Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of
Africa and Madagascar [SECAM], dated 7 October 2000: "Not only
should the rich nations cancel debts, but they should also agree to
compensation for both the debt and the wrongs they have done to
Africa" [n. 18]). But the Holy See wishes to emphasize that the
need for reparation reinforces the obligation of giving substantial help
to developing countries, an obligation weighing chiefly on the more
developed countries. This is not only a moral obligation; it is also a
requirement resulting from the right of each people to development. As
Pope John Paul II has insisted: "Both peoples and individuals must
enjoy the fundamental equality ... which is the basis of the right of
all to share in the process of full development" (Encyclical Letter
Sollicitudo rei socialis, n. 33).
The fundamental role of education in the struggle against racism and
discrimination
13. The international community is aware that the roots of racism,
discrimination and intolerance are found in prejudice and ignorance,
which are first of all the fruits of sin, but also of faulty and
inadequate education (cf. CR, Part IV, n, 28). To take a main
theme of the Durban Conference, the role of education, understood as a
"good practice to be promoted" in the struggle against these
evils, is fundamental. In this regard too, the Catholic Church recalls
her very extensive active role "on the ground", in educating
and instructing young people of every confession and on every continent
through many centuries. Faithful to her values, the Church educates at
the service of every person and of the whole person (see for example,
the address of Pope John Paul II to the President of Gabon, Libreville
[17 February 1982], n. 5: Insegnamenti, V, 1 [1982], 569. See
also the Holy See's Report to CERD, pp. 36-66. Detailed in the area of
education, the Report gives many statistics and a series of very
concrete examples of the Church's role in the field, notably in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel and the territories of the Palestinian
Authority. In its Conclusions, CERD stresses positively this action of
the Church: "The Committee expresses its appreciation for the role
of the Catholic Church in promoting education, particularly in
developing countries. The Committee further welcomes the opening up of
Catholic schools to children from different religious creeds as well as
the promotion of tolerance, peace and integration through education. The
Committee notes with satisfaction that in many countries where the
majority of the population is non-Christian, Catholic schools are places
where children and young people of different faiths, cultures, social
classes or ethnic backgrounds come into contact with each other"
[n. 8]).
For, in the Church's view, "all people of whatever race,
condition or age, in virtue of their dignity as human persons have an
inalienable right to education. This education should be suitable to the
particular destiny of the individuals, ... and should be conducive to
fraternal relations with other nations in order to promote true unity
and peace in the world" (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
Declaration on Christian Education Gravissimum educationis, n.
1).
14. From the material point of view, the Church encourages efforts of
international cooperation aimed at helping the poorer nations "in a
better instruction of youth with a view to the future" (John Paul
II, Address to the Diplomatic Corps [11 January 1986], n.
8: Insegnamenti, IX, 1 [1986), 69-70). For "the
illiterate is a starved spirit" (Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum
progressio [26 March 1967], n. 35) and illiteracy is "a kind of
daily slavery in a world that presupposes education" (John Paul II,
Message for World Day of Peace 1981, n. 3; see also his Address
to the Brazilian Bishops of the North-Eastern region on the occasion of
their ad limina Visit [30 September 1985], 4: Insegnamenti, VIII,
2 [1985), 815-816). In another context, Pope John Paul II explained that
the prime role of culture is to educate the person. The grave crises
currently affecting the educational system in more affluent societies
show that "the work of a human being's education is not carried out
only with the help of institutions, with the help of organizational and
material means, however excellent they may be", and that an
education which places efficiency and performance before all else is
doomed to failure. Education is a matter of teaching the human being to
become "ever more human", to "be more" rather than
to "have more". Thus the human being learns to "be"
"with others", but even more to be "for others".
That is why "education is of fundamental importance for the
formation of inter-personal and social relations" (John Paul II,
Address to UNESCO [2 June 1980], n. 11: Insegnamenti 111, 1 [1980],
1644).
15. As part of the general education process, to counteract racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance associated
with it, there must be a specific effort to present—especially
to the young—certain major values such as
the unity of the human race, the dignity of every human being, the
solidarity which binds together all the members of the human family.
Equally important is an education in respect for human rights and,
in this regard, mention should be made of the initiative launched by the
United Nations Decade for Education in Human Rights (1995-2004). In
addition to students in schools or universities, certain professions are
in special need of a theoretical and practical formation in the area of
human rights (government officials, lawyers, judges and law enforcement
officers, but also teachers, social workers and journalists) (see
especially the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action [25 June
1993], 1 § 33, 11, nn. 68-69). This is not to deny that education in
human rights is a slow and complex process, especially when the country
concerned has been through years of conflict and everything has to be
rebuilt: administration, electoral system, police force, educational
system, etc.
If peace cannot be attained without respect for human rights (cf.
John Paul II, Message for World Day of Peace 1999), by the
same token without education in human rights, peace and respect for
others are impossible: "without education in moral values, in the
people and with their leaders or future leaders, every construction of
peace remains fragile; it is even doomed to failure, whatever be the
cleverness of diplomats or the forces displayed. It is the duty of
politicians, educators, families, and those in charge of the media to
contribute to this formation. And the Church is always ready to make her
contribution" (John Paul II, Address to the Diplomatic Corps
[12 January 1985], n. 7: Insegnamenti VIII, 1 [1985], 66).
The role of the media in human rights education
16. In order to promote the culture of human rights, everyone has the
duty to educate for peace; but the media have an important role
in this area (cf. John Paul II, Message for World Day of Peace 2000, n.
12). Given the prodigious and positive development of the means of
social communication, the Church recalls that the responsibilities of
the individuals using them have become still greater. In fact, serious
risks are involved, not so much with regard to the techniques used as to
the content of what is communicated. Those responsible for information
must never forget their duties to society as a whole. The first of these
concerns the common good, for "society has a right to information
based on truth, freedom, justice and solidarity" (Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 2494). In communicating information, therefore,
the primary duty is truth (cf. Communicationis Socialis Praepositi, Communication
et progrès, n. 34: AAS 63 [1971], 606); but a corollary of this is that
the right to communicate the truth is not unconditional (cf. Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 2488). This right must be guided by
charity, because it is not an end in itself; the private life and
reputation of people must be respected, as must the common good.
Moreover, public authorities have the important responsibility of
guaranteeing this freedom within the framework of respect for the common
good (On these points, cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
the Instruments of Social Communication Inter mirifica, nn.
3-12). In particular, they should avoid letting serious prejudices enter
society by the means of communication, and especially that they do not
transmit racist and discriminatory messages, as sometimes happens, for
example, through the Internet. In the world of today, the new
information technologies have a great impact on the lives of individuals
and peoples. This is a phenomenon which offers great possibilities, but
which also has its dangers: "The fact that a few countries have a
monopoly on these cultural 'industries' and distribute their products to
an ever growing public in every corner of the earth can be a powerful
factor in undermining cultural distinctness. These products include and
transmit implicit value-systems, and can therefore lead to a kind of
dispossession and loss of cultural identity in those who receive
them" (John Paul II, Message for World Day of Peace 2001,
n. 11).
The role of religions and of the Catholic Church in particular in
human rights education
17. First and foremost, the Church insists on the irreplaceable role
of religions, and of the Christian faith especially, in the area of
education regarding human rights. At the Interreligious Assembly of
1999, Pope John Paul II declared: "The task before us ... is to
promote a culture of dialogue. Individually and together, we must show
that religious belief inspires peace, encourages solidarity, promotes
justice and upholds liberty", (Address at the Closing Ceremony,
Vatican City [28 October 1999]: L'Osservatore Romano English
edition [3 November 1999], pp. 1-2. On interreligious dialogue, see the
activities of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the
Holy See's Report to CERD, nn. 77 ff.). On another occasion, he stated
to the German Bishops that "religious instruction ... can help to
recognize clearly ... new emerging forms of idolatry ... such as
nationalism and racism" (Address to a group of Bishops of Germany
on the occasion of their ad limina Visit [4 December 1992], n. 7:
Insegnamenti XV, 2 [1992], 812, quoted in the Report to
CERD, n. 23). The Catholic Church in fact elaborates and teaches an
important social doctrine focussing on the person and the person's
rights at every stage of life and in every situation. The Church's moral
teaching has two poles: the salvation of souls and respect for human
dignity. In the year designated by the United Nations as the year of
"dialogue between civilizations", it is good to remember that
the basis of this dialogue is the existence of values common to all
cultures. Pope John Paul II has written: "The different religions
too can and ought to contribute decisively to this process. My many
encounters with representatives of other religions—I
recall especially the meeting in Assisi in 1986 and in Saint Peter's
Square in 1999—have made me more confident
that mutual openness between the followers of the various religions can
greatly serve the cause of peace and the common good of the human
family" (John Paul II, Message for World Day of Peace 2001,
n. 16. See also the Message for World Day of Peace 1992: "Believers
united in building peace").
Positive discrimination as a means of counteracting racism and forms
of discrimination
18. Regarding "good practices to promote" and more
especially what is called "positive discrimination" or
"affirmative distinctions", it is well known that the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,
of 21 December 1965, envisages in Article 1 §4 the possibility
of adopting special measures "for the sole purpose of securing
adequate advancement of certain racial or ethnic groups or individuals
requiring such protection as may be necessary in order to ensure such
groups or individuals equal enjoyment or exercise of human rights ...
" (the Holy See ratified this Convention in 1969; see CR, Part IV,
n. 30. See also the Holy See's Report to CERD, n. 4 k: "So far as
the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms
of Racial Discrimination is concerned, the Holy See takes
special pleasure in reiterating its support of the Convention as the
Catholic Church considers it its duty to preach the equal dignity of all
human beings, created by God in His image"). On this basis of
"affirmative action", various countries have adopted
legislation providing special protection notably for indigenous peoples
and minorities. These voluntary measures are intended to ensure
effective recognition of the equality of all, for example by
facilitating access to bank loans for a particular category of
the population. There are different systems of applying such measures:
the many more or less obligatory provisions for affirmative action,
the system of quotas imposing a fixed percentage of one or other
group of people (in public employment, schools, universities, elections
...), etc.
19. The choice of this kind of policy remains controversial. There is
a real risk that such measures will crystallize differences rather than
foster social cohesion, that in the area of employment or political
life, for example, there will be recruitment or election of individuals
on the basis of their ethnic group rather than their competence, and
finally that freedom of choice will be compromised. Those, who support
these voluntary policies reply that it is not enough to recognize
equality—it has to be created. And in fact
it cannot be denied that the weight of historical, social and cultural
precedents requires at times positive action by States.
The Catholic Church is always keen to defend the reality of the
concrete person, situated in history (cf. John Paul II Encyclical Letter
Redemptor hominis [4 March 1979], n. 13), and she calls for
effective respect for human rights. These policies are legitimate to the
extent that they respect the prudent reserve of Article 1, § 4 of the
1965 Convention, which provides that these measures of positive
discrimination must be temporary, that they ought not have the effect of
maintaining different rights for different groups, and that they must
not be kept in force once their objectives have been achieved.
The increased mobility of peoples demands more than ever an openness
to others
20. The movement of peoples, as previously stated,
has accelerated in recent years for various reasons, which are often
dramatic (wars, forced displacement, natural disasters, etc.). As the
number of foreigners grows, some people become alarmed and demand, for
instance, "zero immigration" laws, or indulge in still more
violent forms of behaviour (cf. CR, Part II, n. 14). The Catholic
Church is aware of these problems (cf. CR, Part IV, n. 29), and
has always paid special attention to refugees, migrants and expatriates.
The Pope, for example, dedicates an annual message to migrants and
refugees. On every occasion, he seeks to encourage everyone, and
especially Christians, to be generous in their welcome, particularly
through positive actions such as family reunification, and to recognize
that immigrants bring with them the riches of their culture, history and
traditions (see among others the Holy Father's Message for World Day
of Migrants 1992 "To welcome the stranger with the joy
of one who can recognize in him the face of Christ", Insegnamenti,
XV, 2 [1992], 80-84. In its conclusions, CERD remarks: "The
Committee notes with satisfaction that the laws and teachings of the
Catholic Church promote tolerance, friendly co-existence and multiracial
integration and that Pope John Paul II has, in a number of speeches,
openly condemned all forms of racism, racial discrimination, and
xenophobia manifested through racial tensions and conflicts around the
world" [n. 4]. See also the activity of the Pontifical Council for
the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants, especially in the Holy
See's Report to CERD, nn. 82 ff., see Note 16. In its conclusions CERD
notes: 'The Committee expresses its appreciation for the contributions
made by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Itinerant People through, inter alia, declarations and programmes
of action to promote non-discrimination against refugees and migrants in
various parts of the world. In this context, the Committee notes the
efforts undertaken by the State party to promote the rights of the Roma
populations" [n. 7]). The local Churches, especially through the
Episcopal Conferences, have not hesitated to enter into public debate in
order to condemn racism and foster openness to immigrants (see for
example the Message of the French Episcopal Commssion on
Migration to immigrants in France, published at a time when the movement
towards a policy of "zero immigration" was in full swing, Nous
avons besoin de vous [20 May 1993]: Documentation
catholique 2074 [1993], 569; the Message of the Japanese Bishops,
Seeking the Kingdom of God which transcends differences of nationality, which
addressed the increase of immigrants to Japan especially from poor
countries and which encourages Christians to develop positive attitudes
towards them. See also the documents published by the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops in the U.S.A., such as Who are my
brothers and sisters? A Catholic educational guide for understanding and
welcoming immigrants and refugees, Washington, D. C., 1996,
which is an educational programme for Catholic primary and secondary
schools; and also Welcoming the stranger among us: unity in diversity,
Washington, D. C., 2001).
New and dramatic forms of discrimination
21. Since 1988, two great global divides have grown deeper: the first
is the ever more tragic phenomenon of poverty and social discrimination
(cf. CR, Part II, n. 13), and the other, more recent and less
widely condemned, concerns the unborn child (cf. CR, Part II, n. 16) as
the subject of experimentation and technological intervention (through
techniques of artificial procreation, the use of "superfluous
embryos", so-called therapeutic cloning, etc.). Here there is a
risk of a new form of racism, for the development of these techniques
could lead to the creation of a "sub-category of human
beings", destined basically for the convenience of certain others.
This would be a new and terrible form of slavery. Regrettably, it cannot
be denied that the temptation of eugenics is still latent, especially if
powerful commercial interests exploit it. Governments and the scientific
community must be very vigilant in this domain.
Conclusion
22. When he visited South Africa in 1995, Pope John Paul II stated
that solidarity is "the only path forward, out of the complete
moral bankruptcy of racial prejudice and ethnic animosity" (Homily
at Germiston Racecourse, Johannesburg [17 September 1995], n. 4: Insegnamenti
XVIII, 2 [1995], 581). Solidarity must be fostered among States, but
also within every society where a process of dehumanization and the
disintegration of the social fabric undeniably aggravates racist and
xenophobic attitudes and behaviour. This negative process results in
rejection of the weakest, be it the foreigner, the handicapped or the
homeless. Solidarity must be based upon the unity of the human family,
because all people, created in the image and likeness of God, have the
same origin and are called to the same destiny (cf. CR, Part III, nn.
19-20). On this basis the contribution of religion remains
irreplaceable, a contribution made by each believer who, freely adhering
to faith, lives it out every day. Freedom of conscience and freedom of
religion remain the premise, the principle and the foundation of every
other freedom, human and civil, individual and communal.
François-Xavier
Cardinal Nguyên Van Thuân
President
Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi
Secretary
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